Ghost gun, drugs, and illegal THC found at smoke shop in East Baltimore

Baltimore City is continuing to crack down on smoke shops that are selling illegal and unregulated products.

On Friday, the Baltimore City Sheriff's Office announced the shutdown of an illegal cannabis operation in East Baltimore.

This comes as the city sheriff's office announced several arrests and seizures in a multi-agency enforcement effort last week after several complaints from members of the community.

On Wednesday, while executing a warrant at VIP Smoke Cigars located at 400 N. Highland Avenue, police found a ghost gun, suspected cocaine, and hundreds of THC products that the store is not allowed to sell.

"We know what's happening. These are places where cash is flowing in and out. It's being done illegally," said Senator Bill Ferguson.

17-year-old arrested

A 17-year-old was one of two people who were behind the counter during the search. Both were arrested.

The teen had been charged as an adult with firearms violations and unlawful distribution and sale of cannabis. The second employee is also facing charges tied to the unlawful sale and distribution of cannabis.

The store is in State Senate President Bill Ferguson's district. This type of operation is what he and law enforcement have been pushing for.

"If it is a licensed shop that is using the proper rules, great, fine, that's capitalism. What we're seeing are these ones that are built to exploit, and those are the ones we're going after, and those are the ones that need to be shut down," said Senator Ferguson.

As of Friday afternoon, the store was still up and running. 

Community concerns

Some neighbors told WJZ it's clear these shops don't care about the community, and they wish the enforcement had come sooner.

"It's too damn late. Too late. They should not have let the genie out the bottle," said a community member. "Now they're trying to put restrictions on it, but it's wide open, and we see that other things are involved also."

Ferguson says these crackdowns and arrests will continue happening in hopes of making neighborhoods safer for kids and keeping illegal products off the street.

Last week, the Baltimore City Sheriff's Office announced the seizure of 73 pounds of illegal cannabis and nearly 20,000 tobacco products.

Law enforcement says they hope stores are scared and clean up their act, as undercover deputies will be checking in all summer.